Tom thornycrqft anb john edward thqrmtcroit



' APPLICATION mio umani-91a.

Patented Nov. 4,1919.

T. AND J. E. THORNYCROFT. MEANSFOR LAUNCHING TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION F|LED.DEC.9,1918

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 LSQSl.

narran srerns rarest* ortica.

TOM THORNYCROFT AN'D JOHN EDVTABD THORNYGROFT, QF

VVEST'MINSTER, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR LAUNCHING TRPEDOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4i, 19M?.

Applicationk filed December 9, 1918. Serial No. 265,919,

ments in Mea-ns for Launching Torpedoes,

of which the following is a specification.

ln the specication of another application for Letters Patent filed December 9th, 1918, Serial No. 265,917, there are described means or apparatus suitable for discharging torpedoes from motor boats, the said means or apparatus comprising, z'atefr alia, the association with a cylinder fitted with a piston rod or ram and called the torpedo launching cylinder, of a combustion 'chamber or charge container and gas receiver with restricted connections between these parts and between the gas receiver and the ram cylinder, the arrangement being such to admit of an explosive, such for example, as cordite,

being burntunder pressure in a slower and more certain and complete manner, than usual to produce gases under high pressure without undue shock so that such gases can be utilized to discharge a torpedo practically without shock and with a comparatively low and steady pressure, the arrangement more- `ver being such as to avoid the use of motor driven air compressors and large air receivw ers and thus to enable torpedoes of ordinary size to be carried by and launched from small motor boats of thirty feet in length.

New the present invention has reference to further improvements in connection with means or apparatus such as referred to, for launching torpedoes from small boatsy and also it might be from larger boats and from a part thereof above the sea level, and it relates to means for supporting and holding the torpedo on the boat preparatory to launching it; for releasing, supporting, guiding, and controlling the torpedo while it is being launched by the piston rod or ram of a torpedo launching cylinder under the action of gasesunder pressure admitted to the closed end f the cylinder and for en# abling a torpedo to be launched tail first over the stern of the boat so that the torpedo when discharged into the water 4can travel forward in the direction in which the boat was traveling at the time it was launched.

`According to the invention the after part of the boat above the sea level is rovided with alongitudinal trough, or cradlP subjects of the King of Great Britaine, (heref inafter called the trough), adapted to accommodate a torpedo, which may be of ordinary size, and the upper side portions of which are provided with longitudinal rails to carry the lateral lugs ordinarily provided on opposite sides of a torpedo, the trough being open at one end and also along its top to the eXternal air so that a torpedo can be placed in it from above, and the rails being preferably inclined downwardly and.

backwardly. l

The torpedo launching cylinder is arranged centrally with reference to the trough and at one end thereof and the outer end of the piston rod or ram therein is adapted to act upon the nose of the torpedo. The piston rod or ram (hereinafter referred to as the piston rod) is or may be adapted to be brought to rest when near the outer end of its travel by air trapped in the rearward end of the torpedo launching cylinder in rear of one or more lateral holes 'in such cylinder, as described in the said former specification.

The combustion chamber 4alled the charge container) and the gas receiver, can be placed in any convenient position on the boat and be connected to the closed end of the ram cylinder by piping, the firing means for ingiting the charge of cordite or other propellant in the charge container for producing gas under pressure for operating the ram and launching the torpedo being arranged in any convenient posi- (hereinafter ,A

tion but conveniently at or near the forward il pedo can be prevented until the firing means are beingv operated. Also, associated with the trough are holding means whereby a torpedo can be firmly fiXed in position upon the rails so as to prevent it moving when the boat is experiencing bad weather or making a long voyage. Such holding means ylso serve, in lightly constructed wooden boats, vto hold the sides of the trough at the correct gage or distance apart to insure that the correct clearances are maintained between the' carrying rails.

The trough can be variously constructed. Thus, in the case of small boats, say of wood, it may be constituted by an open cavity formed centrally in the after portion of the boat below the deck level but above the sea level the sides of such trough being suitably stayed or strengthened to insure the necessary strength of the boat.

The details of construction can be variously modified.

In the accompanying illustrative drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show respectively 1n side elevation and plan, a motor Vboat fitted with apparatus for producing gases under pressure for use in a torpedo launching cylinder and adapted for the launching of a torpedo, tail first, over its stern. Figs. 3 and 4 show in longitudinal section and plan, boat and torpedo launching apparatus to a larger scale. Figs. 5 6 and 7 are cross sections on the lines A B B and C C respectively of Fig. 3. Figs. 8 and 9 are end and side views of a detail of the apparatus. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional detail View, to a larger scale than the remaining figures, of part of the torpedo. launching cylinder.

According to the construction shown, designed for launching a torpedo tail first over the stern of a boat, as is found advantageous in the case of a small high speed boat, say a boat from thirty to fifty feet long and having a speed of say thirty five .knots an hour, s is a trough arranged longitudinally in the after part of the boat t and below the deck level. Itis open at the reary end and at the top and is provided at its opposite sides with supporting rails u inclined downwardly and back-wardly to carry the torpedo p. c is the torpedo launching cylinder arranged in front of the trough s and rigidly fixed centrally therewith. c1 are lateral holes in the cylinder c toward the rear end thereof, as and for the purpose hereinbefore mentioned. a is a gas receiver with charge container of the kind hereinbefore referred to and it is piping connecting such gas receiver to the forward end of the torpedo launching cylin` der c.. n is the ram or piston rod of the said cylinder. It is provided at its outer and rear end with a bell shaped head Q adapted to fit over and against the head of the torpedo p to be launched and made of sufiicient ,lengthto -avoid any possibility ofpits acting against the firing pistol or equivalent car,V

ried by the head or nose of the torpedo. The bell-head o is held firmly against the head of the torpedo, as by a spring 'w (Fig. 3) surrounding the outer rear end of the piston rod a and normally bearingagainst the bell-head o and against the rear end' of the torpedo launching cylinder c, or, be, against a transverse support m carried by side plates z/fixed at the forward end of the trough s, in order to avoid any possibility of the head or nose of the torpedo receiving a blow from the bell-head when the firing gear is operated and the piston.

' torpedo launching cylinder c.

Ationed and is shown part of the it may rod moves outward. The side plates y and transverse support may also serve to carry or support, as shown, the rear end of the The bellhead o is provided at its opposite sides with slotted lugs 01 (Fig. 7), adapted to engage and slide along the rails u which guide and support it and the attached outer end of the piston rod a. The trough s has trussed or strengthened sides, as hereinbefore menat s1. The carrying rails u fixed to such sides are extended backward, l as shown at al, some distance beyond and overhang the stern t1 of the boat t, the overhanging portions u1 of the rails being supported by the aid of suitable struts or supports e.

The torpedo p is supported by its'usual side lugs p1 .on the rails u and as the latter are carried beyond thestern of the boat t, it is obvious that even when the torpedo is pushed out at high speed, as soon as these supporting lugs leave the rails, the torpedo would drop, as lits forward end portion would then be unsupported. To avoid making the rails of an unwieldly length and yet prevent the torpedo falling before it is clear of the boat, the head or forward portion of the torpedo is supported by means, such as a semi-circular shaped stirrup 1 (Figs. 3, 6, 8 and 9), which is fitted with rollers 2 and arranged tovrunV on the rails u and which will fall clear ofthe torpedo when it falls with the torpedo into the water.

At or near the central portion of the length of the trough s are arranged the tor. pedo stopping and releasing means comprising, according to the arrangement shown in Figs. 3, t cally movable rods 3 the lower ends of which normally extend downward through holes in the rails u in front of a pair of the side lugs p1 on the torpedo pl resting on the rails/and the upper ends of which are carried by arms 4 fixed on a transverse shaft 5 carried by stationary side bearing plates or cheeks 6 fixed to the sides ofthe trough s. The shaft is provided at one end with a downwardly extending lever arm 7 suitably connected, as by a tubular rod 8. to a firing lever 9. Shearing pins p2 (Fig. 3) may be suitably arranged von the rails lu, as in the rear of another'pair lof lugs` p1, after the vertically movable stop rodsA 3 have been raised clear of the lugs p1 and until the torpedo is forced rearwardly by the piston rod n. i

The firing lever 9 is mounted to turn about a horizontal axis 10' atV one side Vof a frame ll that is carried by the forward end of the trough s and through which the bellhead o connected to the piston rod n extends .when this .is in its normal and forward poto prevent the torpedo. p moving pi al O equal to that of the sition. The firing lever 9 is connected by a lanyard 12 extending, as through a guide tube 13, to a trigger at 14, for firing the cordite cartridge in the charge container in the gas receiver a, or it may operate an electric firing device. The arrangement is such that when the firing lever 9 is operated to fire the cordite cartridge, it first raises the pair of stop rods 3 out of the rails u and from the rear pair of lugs p1 on the torpedo p so as to leave the latter free to be launched by the backward movement of the piston and its rod n under the action of the pressure gases which are produced by the combustion of the cordite charge which takes place after the stop rods 3 are raised.

The sides of the trough s at the forward and rearward end portions thereof, are connected together at their upper sides by curved transverse members or beams 15 each of which is hinged at 16 (see Fig. 6l, or otherwise connected to the sides o-ftthctrough s, such transverse member or beam 15 carries screws 17 with pads 18, or equivalent, that can be forced down against the upper side of the torpedo 79 in order to force the lugs p1 on the torpedo, hard down on the carrying rails u so that the torpedo cannot then move, as and for the purpose hereinbefore described. The beams 15 also serve to maintain the gage between the carrying rails u as hereinbefore mentioned. i

To admit of a torpedo being readily lowered direct on to the rails u, the mechanism for stopping and releasing the torpedo, comprising the stop rods 3, shaft 5 and levers 4 and 7, may be adapted to be readily removed from the trough s, and the holding down beams 15 maybe adapted to be turned back into an open and inoperative position.

With an arrangement of launching gear such as hereinbefore described and shown, a torpedo p can be discharged stern first from a boat that is traveling at high speed direct toward an object so that upon entering the water the torpedo will have a high forward motion derived from the boat and boat minus the smaller backward speed derived from the launching gear, while. its direction be direct on the object, the boat being steered to one side of its original course, as soon as the torpedo has been launched so as to be clear of the path of the on-coming torpedo.

The operation of the torpedo launching apparatus is as follows A cordite charge or cartridge is placed in the charge container carried by the gas receiver a and the firing gear c fixed in place. lVlien it is desired to discharge the torpedo the firing gear is operated in the usual way by means of the lanyard 12, or other device and the cordite charge or cartridge in the Vthe piping 7L,

of motion will` Acharge containerl is then ignited. As the exit of the resulting combustion gases from the charge container is .restricted as described in our said former specification7 the cordite burns completely under high prersure and with little shock. The resulting gases are collected in the gas receiver a and thence pass at a reduced pressure through or equivalent pressure reducing device, into the torpedo launching cylinder 0 with practically no shock but with a comparatively low and steady pres*` sure, where, acting on the piston therein, such piston and its rod n are forced outward and the torpedo 7J lamiched tail first over the stern of the boat to which the apparatus is fixed.

What we claim is Y l. Torpedo launching means comprising Va boat the after portion of which is provided with a longitudinally arranged trough or cradle and with torpedo ejecting means, the arrangement being .such that a torpedo can be launched tail first over the stern of the boat in such a manner thatl when in the water it can travel forward in a line 'corresponding to that in which the boat was traveling at the moment of launching it.

2. Torpedo launching means according` to the preceding claim wherein the trough or cradle is constituted by an open cavity formed in the after portion ot the boat below the deck level =but above the sea level.

3. Torpedo launching means according to claim4 2, wherein the trough or cradle is a built up structure arranged Ywithin the after portion of the boat and having trussed or strengthened sides.

4. Torpedo launching means according to the claim l, wherein the torpedo ejecting means comprises a torpedo launching cylinder fitted with a piston adapted to be operated by fluid under pressure and the rod or extension-of which is adapted to act upon a torpedo to launch it.

5. Torpedo launching means according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinally arranged trough or cradle is arranged centrally of the boat.

6. Torpedo launching means according to claim 4, wherein the torpedo launching cylinder is arranged centrally of the trough or cradle and at one end thereof.

7. Torpedo launching means according to the claim 1, wherein there are associated with the trough or cradle means accessible through the open top of the trough or cradle for supporting and holding a torpedo in the trough or cradle and means for releasand controlling the torpedo launched tail first over the by the action of fluid in said torpedo ing, .supporting while it is being stern of the boat under pressure' acting launching cylinder.

8. Torpedo launching means according to launching cylinder is provided with a hood the claim 1, wherein the trough or cradle is provided with longitudinally extendingl Yrails or Y and guide a torpedo while being' discharged from the trough or cradle.

9. Torpedo launching means according to the claim l, wherein there is associated with the trough or cradle, longitudinally eXtending carrying rails therein and a torpedo supported on the said rails, means adapted to run on the rails and to support the forward end portion of the torpedo during launching and prevent such end falling until it is clear of the stern of the boat.

10. Torpedo launching means according to claim 4, wherein the outer end of the rod or extension of the piston of the torpedo adapted to act upon the nose of a torpedo and to protect the firing pistol therein;

11. Torpedo launching means according to claim 10, wherein means are provided to hold the hood firmly against the nose of a torpedo preparatory to launching the torpedo.

12. Torpedo launching means according to Vclaim 11, wherein the holding means is a coiled spring surrounding the rod or eX- tension of the piston and arranged between the hood and a stationary vpart of the launching means.

13. Torpedo launching means according to claim 4, wherein the torpedo launching cylinder is provided toward its rear end with one or more lateral holes so that the piston within the cylinder will beV brought to rest when near the outer end of its travel by air that will then be trapped in the rear end portion of the cylinder by the ram or piston.

14. Torpedo launching means according Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by

to fclaim 4f, wherein there are associated with the trough or cradle for a torpedo, carrying rails therein, stopping and releasing means for a torpedo supported on said rails, means for producing by combustion of cordite, gases under pressure for admission to said cylinder for launching the torpedo and means for ring said cordite, said stopping and releasing means being under the control of said firing means so that longitudinal movement of the torpedo will be prevented until the firing means are being operated. v

15. Torpedo launching means according to claim 1, wherein there are associated with the trough or cradle, torpedo carrying rails therein, and holding down means whereby a torpedo can, when desired, be firmly fixed in position upon said carrying rails.

16. Torpedo launching apparatus comprising a 'boat the after portion oiZ which 1s provided with a centrally arranged, longi-l tudinally extending trough or cradle, longitudinally extending side rails therein for supporting a torpedo ready to be launched, means for holding a torpedo on said rails and for releasing it, a centrally arranged torpedo launching cylinder at the forward end of said trough or cradle, a gas receiver connected to the forward or breech end of said launching cylinder and provided with a charge containerV in communication therewith through a contracted gas outlet, ring means for igniting a charge of propellant in said charge container, and a firing device for actuating said firing means and adapted to control said torpedo holding and releasing means.

Signed atv London, England, this thirteenth day of November 1918.

TOM THORNYCROFT. JOHN EDWARD THORNYCROFT.

addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

